Shoulder Exercises for Softball

When it comes to training for a specific sport, you want to concentrate not only on building and stretching the major muscle groups in your body, but also focus in on the muscles used repeatedly throughout the sport. In softball, there is repeated throwing action which means that a flexible and strong shoulder could help your game and prevent injury.

  1. Stretching

    • The throwing action in softball requires that you have a full range of motion in your shoulder. Stretching is important as it will help you use and increase your full range of motion. Begin your workout with arm circles. Keep your arm fully extended and rested down by your side. Raise your arm in front of you until it is fully extended upwards. Continue the circle behind you until it comes back down to the resting position. Repeat on both sides. The same circles can be down with your hand on your shoulder, with your elbow being the outermost part of the circle. You can also do the circles in reverse, extending behind you first.

      Next kneel on the floor and put your hands together in front of you. Reach forward and place your hands on the floor. Lower your upper body down against the ground, allowing your head to go between your arms. Once you have lowered you may need to adjust your hands as you extend your arms fully in front of you and keep your hands on the ground. Push down lightly against your arms using your body weight and hold for 15 seconds.

    Strengthening

    • Strengthening the shoulder muscles, and specifically the rotator cuff muscles, will help prevent one of the more common injuries in softball. The rotator cuff muscles are smaller muscles that you cannot see when looking in the mirror, but they are the key muscles used in the throwing action of softball. It is important to keep the weights light and do sets of 10 to 15, resting for one minute in between sets. Also, go through the motions at a slow pace and use the entire range of motion for each exercise.

      Pick the weights up and raise your arm so that your upper arm is parallel to the floor and your hands are pointed towards the ceiling. Your palms should be facing you. Raise the weights up until your arms are fully extended and lower them back down to the starting position. Complete a full set before moving on to the next exercise.

      With the weights in your hands, let your arms lay down by your sides with your palms facing in. Lift your arms, keeping them extended. When they become parallel to the floor, rotate your arms so that your palms are facing up and continue to raise your arm until they are fully extended above your head. Lower your arms, rotating your palms again and bringing them back to the starting position. Complete a full set and rest before moving on to the next exercise.

      Take one weight and hold it with both hands in front of you with your arms down in a resting position. Raise your arms above your head, making sure that the weight does not go behind your head. You should be able to see your hands without raising your head. Do a full set and rest. You can complete the entire routine again.